Lucky Dog
by SciFiSGFan
Summary: In the world of relationships a bad decision can destroy one's trust in another --- in life there are no do overs.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes - I do not own those characters that actually appear in or have appeared in any way, shape or form any of the Stargate programs so please don't take it personally and please don't sue me if you don't like how I've written them. I would like to thank my friend Bruni for her ideas and insight into my work and my brother Bill for his many comments, suggestions and thoughts that have hopefully led me to be a more responsible writer.

I apologize to those who may feel as though I have strayed a bit in my portrayal of some characters from what is generally considered proper. However, to paraphrase a quote by my favorite Sci-Fi author, Roy W. Penn: "Everyone has an opinion, I am no different than anyone else…. This is my opportunity to put mine up for the whole world to see. If you still don't like it, you're welcome to click the little X in the upper right corner."

I further defend any character assassinations by simply stating this - My stories take place in an Alternate Universe and thus certain changes in personality can be expected. If you can't live with that either I say again—_you're welcome to click the little __**X**__ in the upper right corner._ I hope you won't, though. I hope you'll read, enjoy and review my work—key word is enjoy! Thanks and have a good day.

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In the world of auto racing a bad pit stop can leave you a lap or more down from the leader and can take a good driver out of contention for the win. In the world of relationships a bad decision can destroy one's trust in another and take you out of contention for a life together. But NASCAR has the free pass or what is called the Lucky Dog. It could almost be thought of as a kind of do over. It gives the driver a lap back under caution and a chance to possibly get back in the race and contend for the win. However, in life there are no do overs. In life there are no free passes. If you make a bad decision and destroy someone's trust in you, it's very unlikely you will get the chance to do things over and make a life together.

LUCKY DOG

_The "Lucky dog" rule known as the Free Pass… is a NASCAR rule. The rule allows the driver of the next lapped car or truck behind the leader to gain back a lap during a caution._

— _**Wikipedia**_

Second Chances

"What say we break for lunch?" Colonel John Sheppard had leaned back in his chair and was stretching his arms up over his head. Major Evan Lorne sat across the table from him. He didn't move. "Hey, Lorne, wanna break for lunch?" There was still no sign of acknowledgment. "Lorne!" Sheppard had gotten up and was standing right next to the major.

"Sir?"

"I said 'you wanna break for lunch?'"

"Oh, sure, good idea," Lorne finally answered.

Sheppard peered over Lorne's shoulder to see what it was that he was reading that had him so engrossed that he had ignored the chance to take a break. It was the personnel file on one of the new people arriving on the _Daedalus_. "She sure sounds like quite a talented woman, doesn't she?"

"She certainly was."

"Excuse me?" Sheppard looked a little confused by the major's comment. It sounded a lot like he knew the woman.

"Sir?" Lorne asked to the colonel's inquiry.

"You said she _was_. Sounds like either you know her or she's dead."

"Well, actually I do know her. Or did, I guess. Ex-girlfriend or more precisely… ex-fiancée."

"No kidding? She got smart and called it off before it was too late, huh?"

"Well, not exactly. I was an idiot. Wrote her a stupid letter and left while she was at work. Not something I'm all that proud of."

"So not so much a mutual parting of the ways, huh? Should we have the cook hide the frying pans?"

Lorne chuckled a bit at the suggestion. "No, that won't be necessary. Kat wasn't the kind of woman who was prone to emotional or physical outbursts. She was pretty levelheaded. With her it was more about _the look_. She had a way of looking at you that made words unnecessary. I bet she could stop a charging bull without making a single sound – just by looking at it. If anything, you might want to break out the parkas, it could get a little chilly around here."

*****

The _Daedalus_ was about six days from arriving in Atlantis. Her holds contained the usual supplies; among them were canned goods, some fresh meat and other foodstuffs not available from any of the worlds they traded with. There were new uniforms to replace the ones that had seen better days and were getting a bit worn out. There were medical supplies and a fresh batch of movies and reading material for the men and women to enjoy during down time.

_Daedalus_ also brought some new personnel for the expedition this trip. There were seven new Marines, two scientists, two medical technicians, one combination nurse/therapist and one cook. Actually the cook was a Marine who was also trained in communications. All told, there were twelve new people arriving from Earth.

Katherine Anderson was one of those people. She was a trauma nurse and a physical rehab therapist specializing in traumatic injuries. She was also new to the Stargate program, which meant she had spent two months at the SGC going through a kind of basic training. The idea behind the training was to familiarize the civilians with the structure, hierarchy and protocols of what was in essence a military installation. They were also given basic firearms and hand-to-hand combat training. It was important for them to understand what they would be subjected to in their new home. If they couldn't handle things on Earth, there was no place for them some three million light-years away in another galaxy.

Katherine had been sitting in a conference room with the other civilians, all new to the Stargate program and assigned to the Pegasus Galaxy Project, when she learned about _him_. Major Evan Lorne was third in command of the entire Atlantis base. Evan Lorne, who had been a captain when he had asked her to be his wife. He had been a captain when he wrote her a letter outlining his reasons for leaving her. He had been a captain when she never heard from or saw him again. Now he was a major.

And now she was on her way to him, less than a week away from the very real prospect of meeting up with him again. Atlantis was big, very big, so it was possible that they wouldn't be seeing each other on a regular basis. Still a vast majority of the city had not yet been explored and therefore not used. It was a given that they would have contact with one another at some point. But he was in a position of leadership and would surely need to meet all the new arrivals. That meant they would be seeing each other for the first time in almost six years.

Katherine wasn't sure how she was going to deal with seeing Evan. She had gotten over hating him a long time ago. She had gotten over the anger and the hurt as well. Other than some lingering mistrust, she really wasn't sure how she felt about him. She had no idea how he felt about her now. It had been evident in his letter that he loved her a great deal even as he was writing it. Why else would he have been so concerned about the possibility of causing her undue hardship? But why hadn't he just come to her and let them hash it out. Simple, she would have talked him into staying and he had known that.

*****

The _Daedalus_ touched down as the sun was setting on the city. It made for a beautiful sight. Colonel Samantha Carter met the ship and greeted each new expedition member personally. There was a brief meeting in one of the small conference rooms adjacent to the pier where _Daedalus_ had landed. Colonel Sheppard joined them just before it started. In the meeting the new people were given their first schedules and assigned their quarters. They were then given the rest of the evening to settle in. They would all report to their respective department heads in the morning. Apparently Major Lorne was off world and would meet each of them one on one when he returned, which was supposed to be the next day. That gave Katherine one more night to figure out what to say to him. The last thing she wanted to do was cause an embarrassing scene.

Katherine's first day in Atlantis started with meeting Dr Carson Beckett, Chief Medical Officer. He explained to her that she had originally been brought into the program for mainly nursing duties and to perform therapy duties as needed. However, the PT in charge of that minor department (it consisted of one PT and one PTA) had been called back to Earth on a personal matter. It was unlikely she would return. Dr Beckett asked Katherine if she would be willing to become the department head. The other therapist was also trained in radiology but was only a physical therapy assistant. Katherine's qualifications were originally thought to be a little more than were necessary since most patients needing extensive rehab were sent back to Earth. Those who remained could be treated adequately by PTAs.

Katherine was a little surprised at the offer but accepted it without hesitation. Once she had been given a tour of the Infirmary and met those on duty she was shown to the therapy room and given some time to become familiar with it.

She had been so preoccupied with acclimating herself to her new surroundings and getting her mind around the sudden promotion to department head that she had all but forgotten that Evan was due back today and would more than likely be seeking her out.

"Hello Kat." It was Evan.

She turned around to see him standing in the doorway of the therapy room. "Hello Evan."

He came into the room and she took a couple of steps towards him. They embraced like two old friends who had not seen each other in many years. He let go of her and she took a step back.

He took her hands in his and looked at her. She looked into his eyes. Neither of them said anything. They just looked at each other. It was like Lorne had told Sheppard a week ago – Kat had a way with the look that made words unnecessary.

*****  
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	2. Chapter 2

World's Turned 'Round

When Evan had come to find Kat in the therapy room he wasn't sure what to expect. He had told Sheppard she wasn't prone to emotional or physical outbursts so he didn't think she'd start screaming or throwing things at him. Still he didn't know what to expect.

As they stood there looking into each other's eyes it was apparent that they both still had deep feelings for one another. Then Evan realized he saw something more in Kat's eyes—mistrust. He had known his letter would cause her pain. He also had known that her losing trust in him was indeed a distinct possibility, so it really should not have come as any great surprise. But actually seeing it reflected so prominently in her eyes and on her face after all this time probably hurt him more than if he had seen lingering pain. Any man with a shred of decency would have known that doing what he had done the way he had done it would cause any woman to lose faith in him. But if truth were told, he never expected to see her again, certainly not in a place where they would be in such close proximity to each other on an almost daily basis. Now he needed to try and repair that trust, but when and how. The when was easy; sooner rather than later. The how; that might be a little trickier.

Atlantis was not like Earth. The city was big but it wasn't like they could just go off someplace alone for a day and sit down and talk. There really wasn't such a thing as a true day off, either. There was always something going on or coming up that was sure to interrupt any attempt at absolute privacy.

Finally, Kat spoke. "Evan, I think we need to talk."

"I agree."

"But I don't know the ins and outs of the way things happen around here yet, so I'm going to leave the where and when up to you."

"I know a place. It's quiet and private. We shouldn't be disturbed there. I'll let you pick the when. I would hope sooner than later, though."

"Well, I get done here this evening at 1800 and don't have to be back till 0800 tomorrow. That is my schedule for the rest of this week. If you can fit it into yours then I'd say, yes, sooner than later."

"Alright, what if I come by this evening and walk you to dinner and after we can go have that talk?"

"Fine. I'll see you later then."

Evan let go of her hands and turned to walk out. He stopped at the door and looked back at her. She had already turned around and had her back to him.

*****

Promptly at 1800 Evan appeared in the Infirmary to walk Kat to dinner. They made their way to the transport in silence. Once in the cafeteria they got their food and Evan motioned to a table off to the side by one of the windows. It gave a great view of the city and he thought that if worse came to worse it could serve as a distraction if things got awkward between them. For the most part they just made small talk during dinner, talking about her first day and her big promotion and what life was like in Atlantis for him. They were both trying to avoid touching on the subject they knew was at the forefront of their thoughts.

They had finished eating and the small talk topics seemed to be getting harder to come up with. Kat finally said, "So where is this private place we can go and talk? It's getting a little crowded in here and I think we are running out of things to talk about in order to avoid what needs to be said."

They stood up and Evan led the way. They deposited their meal trays near the kitchen and then went out into the corridor to the transport. "It's not too far from here, not by transport that is." They entered and he tapped the screen.

When the doors opened Kat found herself in an alcove with a balcony off the end. There was an easel stand folded up and lying on the floor against one of the inside walls. It was obvious to Kat that this was a place Evan came to in order to paint.

"So, you're still painting, I see," she said nodding over toward the wall.

"Yes, it's so quiet and peaceful here and it offers a beautiful view of the city. The light dances differently off the water, depending on the time of day."

Kat walked to the railing and looked out. It was beautiful and the breeze was warm and smelled of the sea. "I can see why you like it here. And I can see why you picked this place for our little talk." She was standing with her back to him. She was giving him the opportunity to breach the subject first. She didn't want to beg him for answers. He was the one who created the whole mess and she felt he should be the one to clean it up. She merely gave him the starting point by saying they needed to talk.

They stood there in silence for quite some time. Evan's mind was working trying to figure out just how to explain things to her. Finally he decided the best approach was to just be honest and straightforward with her. If he had any hope in restoring her trust in him he knew anything less would be a waste of time.

"Kat, I'm sorry about the letter and I'm sorry about the way I handled things. It was wrong. You deserved so much more than that."

Kat didn't move. She stood staring out at the water. All she said was, "Why?"

He continued, "I don't know. Okay, that's not true, I do know. I was scared. Believe it or not it's true. I was afraid of burdening you if anything were to ever happen to me. You were such a vibrant active young woman. The thought of tying you to a cripple was more than I could handle."

Evan could see the rise and fall of her shoulders as she breathed in the salt air. Occasionally her head would drop down and then lift up. He heard her let out a deep sigh and finally, she turned around. "Okay, so far you're not saying anything that I didn't read in your letter. I want to know why you thought, one, that you would be a cripple and two, that you would be a burden to me. Where did that whole line of thinking come from? That's what I never understood."

"Do you remember my friend, Steve Drake?" Evan stepped towards the railing and stood next to her. "We went to his wedding right after we started dating. I hadn't even moved in with you at the time."

"Yes, I remember. He shipped out a couple of weeks later to the Middle East, right?"

"Yes. And he and his wife had a son the following summer. Steve was due to ship home about six weeks after the baby was born but instead his transport got hit with a roadside bomb and he ended up paralyzed from the waist down. He also lost an arm."

"Oh, God, Evan, I didn't know that. I'm sorry." There was definite sympathy in her voice. Up until then she had been maintaining pretty much a business-like tone with him. No real emotion coming through.

"Thank you. Unfortunately that wasn't all he lost. He lost his family. He came home and his wife could not deal with having to care for an infant as well as a husband who needed as much care as he did. He wrote me to tell me that they had split up. I got the letter a couple of days before I… before I left you. I was afraid of that happening to us, I guess. I was due for reassignment but didn't know where I'd be sent. The only way out that I saw was to leave. I knew if I tried to discuss it with you you'd only end up talking me into staying. And I'd still have that fear hanging over me… us."

She stood there looking at him, this time with sadness in her eyes. She had not known about his friend or the loss of his family. She only knew what Evan had written. _I don't want to be a burden to you. If anything were to happen to me I don't want you to waste your life taking care of me. _"Evan, I was a nurse. I am a nurse. I was going to school to become a therapist assistant when we were together. You knew that then. Didn't you think that might have qualified me a little to take care of you—if any thing had happened? I bet you didn't know that you're the reason I went on beyond the assistant degree and concentrated my studies on traumatic injuries. I earned my full degree a couple of years ago."

Evan and Kat stayed up for hours talking about the direction their lives had taken them after they parted. Evan talked about how he had taken reassignment to Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs and joined the Stargate program and eventually accepted the position out here in the Pegasus Galaxy. She told him that her mother had passed away four years ago and her father had passed about a year later. It was after the death of her parents that she had moved to Chicago to work in a trauma hospital and continue her PT studies there.

The sun was starting to come up from beyond the horizon. It was a beautiful sight. They agreed that they would just take things one day at a time and see where they went. They still had a lot to work out. Evan walked Kat back to the transport and helped her find her way back to her quarters.

*****

"Morning, Kat. Mind if I join you?" Evan had seen her sitting at a table across the cafeteria and walked over to her. The two other people that had been sitting with her had just left and she was alone.

"Sure," she smiled at him as he sat down.

"Thanks, I didn't want to intrude but then I saw your tablemates leave so I thought it might be safe."

"You mean you're not afraid I might scratch your eyes out?" She said with a chuckle.

"Ha, no, not really although if I were you, I might think about it given the fact I kept you up all night on your first day. I sure hope you don't fall asleep on duty. Dr Beckett might not like it."

"If he says anything, I'll just blame you."

*****

Evan and Kat continued to see each other whenever they could. Most often they would just run into each other in the cafeteria and sit and talk. They usually just covered current day-to-day living topics when in public. They revisited _their_ balcony on several occasions for long discussions about the past. He still had a lot of work to do if he wanted to rebuild her trust in him. Atlantis had some spectacular sunsets and even more impressive sunrises. Things always seemed better between them after one of these all-nighters. The view had an almost life-changing effect on Kat. After almost three months of breakfasts, lunches, dinners and private alone times Evan mustered the courage to ask her out on an actual date, something where they would be seen off duty and in public.

Once a month there would be a theater style showing of a movie. There would be popcorn and beer or soda and everyone would socialize on a more relaxed level. It was something that Colonel Carter had instituted early in her command at the recommendation of Dr Kate Heightmeyer, one of the expedition psychologists, as a way for everyone to become better acquainted with each other. Normally the movies were just in the library for anyone to watch or check out along with a DVD player in order to view at their leisure.

Evan chose to ask Kat to the movie. She accepted.

*****  
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	3. Chapter 3

Long Day's Night

_Beep_. It was the door alarm to Kat's quarters. "Come," she called out. She knew who it was.

Evan came in. "You look beautiful, Kat."

"Thanks, you clean up pretty good yourself, mister." She had changed out of her hospital scrubs into a pretty lavender print blouse and studded jeans. Her auburn hair was hanging loosely just past her shoulders. She had even put on some blush and eye shadow. He was wearing a green shirt and blue jeans. Evan leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek. She deliberately turned just a bit and met his lips with hers for a quick kiss.

"This is for you." He handed her a small flat package wrapped in a cloth. "Sorry it isn't wrapped very well, not much for wrapping paper around here."

She took it and looked questioningly at him. "Go ahead, open it, it won't bite," he said with a chuckle.

She laid it on the dresser that was by the door and slowly unfolded the cloth. Inside was an 8 x 11 canvas with a painting of a bouquet of roses, eleven yellow and one red. In spite of what had happened between them all those years ago it remained her favorite combination. "Oh Evan, you remembered. It's beautiful. Thank you." She threw her arms around him and gave him a kiss. He embraced her and kissed her back.

Kat pulled away a little embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't have done that." He took her hands in his. "It's just that I've been wanting to kiss you like that for a week. I just didn't want to scare you off."

"Don't apologize for doing something we've both been avoiding for days. Evan…" she stopped, not really sure what words to chose. She was a little confused. Part of her wanted to throw her arms around him and never let him go, but there was also a part that wanted desperately to run away and hide. For the first time since she could remember she wasn't sure what she wanted, for the two of them to continue where they had left off all those years ago or to just be good friends and colleagues.

He leaned in and kissed her again before she had the chance to say anything more. This time she leaned into him and kissed him back– passionately.

*****

"Good morning, Maggie."

"Good morning, Kathy, we missed you at the movie last night."

"I know. I ended up staying in." She had not told anyone about her intended date with Evan. "Lost track of time I guess. By the time I realized it, it was too late to make the movie. So how was it?"

"It was good, really. If you're a _Star Wars_ fan."

"Oh darn, almost wish I hadn't missed it. I'm actually a closet Sci-Fi fan. I love all the _Star Trek_ series and the original _Star Wars_ movies. Well, I guess I'll have to try and catch it the next time they show it or just check it out and watch it in private."

Katherine tried to sound nonchalant since she and Evan had been trying to keep their budding relationship a secret. It had been about three months since she had arrived in Atlantis. They usually would just 'run into each other' in the cafeteria and sit together and talk about their respective days. There was no sense in making it public if it didn't go anywhere. That was until last night. She hadn't simply 'lost track of time.'

There were only two people in the city that knew about Kat and Evan, Dr Jennifer Keller and of course Colonel Sheppard. And the colonel's knowledge was limited to the fact the two had a history. He was not one to pry into his men's personal off-duty time so although he did see them together from time to time, he did not know how far they had come in their relationship.

It turned out that Jennifer and Kat had taken a couple of classes in high school together back in Minnesota. Some years younger than Kat, Jennifer had been an exceptional student and had accelerated into several high school courses. The two quickly became fast friends here in Atlantis. Katherine confided in Jennifer about Evan and the relationship they had shared in the past and about her uncertainty as to it's future.

*****

"Major Lorne, I'd like you and your team to go to M74-291 and do a standard recon. See if there is any possibility it could be used as an Alpha site or site to relocate other populations. If it looks promising we will send a team back to make the necessary inspections and surveys. According to the database it was destroyed by the Wraith a long time ago. With any luck, they will think it's still uninhabited and not revisit it. Can you leave this afternoon?"

"Yes ma'am. I see no reason why we can't. Say 1330?"

"That would be great. John, do you have anything else we need to cover this morning?"

"No, I think that about does it for me."

"Rodney?"

"Ah, oh, ah, no I have nothing else." Rodney McKay had not really been paying attention. He despised sitting in on these morning staff meetings when all that was talked about was military matters. He felt it was a huge waste of his time.

"Carson, anything to report from a medical standpoint?"

"Other than a couple of minor sprains from the weekend's volleyball game, everyone seems to be staying quite healthy. We really need to get these people some proper athletic shoes. This isn't the first time I've brought this up."

"I'll see what I can do to get that request moved along." Colonel Carter made a note to herself to put a little pressure on the SGC to fill the requisition for better off-duty footwear.

"Thank you, Colonel."

"All right then, I guess that does it for today. Major, we'll see you at 1330." With that, Colonel Carter adjourned the meeting and everyone got up to leave.

*****

Usually these standard recon missions were only one-day affairs or at worst, overnight, depending on the terrain of the planet they were visiting or if the planet were inhabited or not. But M74-291 was supposed to be uninhabited and forested and so that probably meant a lot of rough and slow going in order to get an accurate picture of the surroundings. Forested 10,000 years ago usually meant extremely forested now. If they arrived and found it extremely overgrown it would mean a lot of trudging through densely overgrown terrain. It could take at least a couple of days if not more to cover the customary 10-klick radius they usually tried to make in these initial surveys.

"Kat?" Evan's voice came across Katherine's comm-link.

She tapped at it and replied. "Hey."

"Can you meet me for an early lunch? Say about 1100?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I'll tell ya at lunch, see ya later."

"Dr Beckett, I'd like to take an early lunch today, about 1100, if that's okay?"

"Not a problem, Kathy. I don't run a tight ship down here, you know that."

"Thanks. I'll try not to make a habit of it."

*****

"Hey, thanks for meeting me so early. I need to talk to you."

"Sure, but couldn't it have waited till later? Why the rush?" Kat was a little confused. Evan had been brief and mysterious with his invitation and offered no clue as to why.

"Let's grab our food and sit over there." He motioned to a round table across the room. It was off to the side out of the way next to one of the full-length windows. "I'll tell you then."

"Okay, but you're being very mysterious, you have me a bit worried. Should I be worried?" She tried to sound light-hearted but wasn't sure it was working.

"I'm sorry about that." The two had made their lunch choices; Kat a ham sandwich and a salad and Evan had chosen the meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans. He usually tried to have a good hearty hot meal before heading out on a mission.

They sat down and he took a bite of his meatloaf. "Mmm, sure is good today. I don't know what the cook puts in it but it's really good." He was trying to make small talk and avoid Kat's questioning eyes. She wasn't eating; she was just sitting there looking at him.

"Okay, spill it mister, what's with the big mystery?" She said with a deliberate touch of impatience in her voice.

"I have to go off world this afternoon. Not sure just when I'll be back. It could be a couple days. After the other night, I thought I owed you more than just a 'hey I'll see ya in a couple days, bye.' It's nothing dangerous or anything, just a routine recon mission, but the planet is supposed to be covered with forest and is liable to be pretty dense. It could take a few days to cover all the ground we need to."

"Just promise me you'll be careful." She looked at him with a bit of concern in her eyes at the same time putting her hand on his knee.

He put his hand on hers and squeezed it gently. "I will, don't worry."

"What time do you leave?"

"We're set to go at 1330. Do you have any plans for tomorrow, it's your day off, I know that. I'm really sorry I won't be here to spend at least part of it with you."

"Yes, off tomorrow then I begin a two week rotation on nights the day after tomorrow, or more accurately the night after tomorrow night. That part's gonna take some getting used to, but I'm actually looking forward to it. Tomorrow I will probably do my laundry then the next day try and relax and reset my internal clock. Say, if you want, drop yours off by my quarters, I'll do it while you're gone. Then you won't have to worry about it when you get back."

"Thanks, but you really don't have to do my laundry."

"It's no biggie, it's not like I've never done it before. I think I can handle it." She said with a laugh.

"Well, alright, I'll drop it off in your quarters on my way out. I have to go back to mine to get a few things before heading out anyway."

The two finished their lunch in silence. Evan finished before Kat, she was toying with her salad, and got up to go. He touched her shoulder and said, "I really gotta get. I'll see ya soon."

She touched his hand, giving him a you-better-be-damn-careful-out-there look and then said, "Oh, don't forget to drop the laundry." She watched him as he turned away.

He understood her look. He nodded and smiled in acknowledgment. "I'll leave it inside your door. Thanks again, you really don't have to do it, you know." He knew there was no point in arguing about it. For one he didn't have time and two he'd learned a long time ago not to argue with Kat about certain things. There was simply no way to win.

Katherine finished her lunch and went back to work. She tried to not think about Evan and his team going off world. After all he'd been out at least seven times since she arrived and while they weren't all uneventful missions (they got into a bit of a confrontation with some villagers about disturbing sacred ground around the Stargate. The team was able to get out of that one with only a few bumps and bruises and it was decided that that planet would be designated off limits), there had not been anything serious nor had they encountered the Wraith or the Genii. Things had been pretty quiet in the Pegasus Galaxy lately.

*****  
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	4. Chapter 4

Revelations

"When they said 'densely forested' they meant it." Major Lorne commented to no one in particular. He and his team, Captain Landon and Lieutenants Powell and Blake came through the Gate right smack in the middle of what appeared to be an extremely thick grove of trees and underbrush. The only clear spot seemed to be that which had been vaporized by the opening wormhole.

"Well, it looks like the first order of business is to find the DHD. Spread out and let's hope we don't find a tree growing up through the middle."

"And if we do, sir?" Lieutenant Blake asked. He was relatively new to Lorne's team having only been a part of it for the last couple of months.

"Then we do as much recon as we can till we go past our check-in time. Once overdue, Atlantis will try contacting us and when we tell them the situation, they will most likely send a jumper to dial back. It happened once before."

"That must be a little nerve-wracking if something goes wrong before check-in time."

"Well, Lieutenant, let's hope it doesn't come to that, then. Just keep looking."

"Over here, Major." It was Captain Landon. He and Powell were standing about twenty feet to the left of Lorne and Blake.

"It appears intact, sir, just thickly overgrown with vines and vegetation."

"Good work, Landon. Dial Atlantis, let's see if this thing still works." He and Blake walked over to where Landon and Powell were standing.

The captain pushed the appropriate buttons and pressed the center. Swoosh. The Gate came alive.

"Atlantis, this is Lorne."

"Go ahead, Major. Is there a problem, we weren't expecting to hear from you for at least eight hours?" It was Chuck.

"No, no problem. We just wanted to make sure the DHD was working. It was buried in some pretty heavy vegetation. Looks like this is going to take a couple days. We'll contact you again as scheduled."

"Understood, Major. Atlantis out."

"Lorne out." The Gate disconnected and Major Lorne turned to his men. "Alright, we have a lot of ground to cover and it's not gonna be easy. Let's move out."

*****

"Hey Kath, so how you liking your first Atlantis night shift?"

"Hi Jen. Wow, this sure isn't the ER in Chicago. How do you stay awake? I've been through the supply cabinet three times so far. I think I can safely say nothing is out of place."

"I know it's been a little slow around here tonight. Trust me, its not always this quiet. You'll find out soon enough."

"So, how's Evan?" Jennifer Keller asked with a smile.

"He's fine, as far as I know. He and his team went off world the other day. He should be back tomorrow, I hope."

"Aw, come on, Kath, you know what I meant. I saw you two conspicuously absent from the movie last week."

"Hey, I'm not one to kiss-n-tell." Kathy tried to avoid the question. She was actually dying to tell someone but didn't want anyone else to overhear. It wasn't like the Infirmary was bustling, but there were a few other people there.

"So there _is_ something to tell, you just don't want to talk about it here, right?"

"Guilty as charged." They both laughed. Well that wasted a whole five minutes of the night.

"MEDICAL TEAM TO THE GATEROOM." The announcement stopped the women's laughter abruptly. They looked at each other, a look of concern flashed across Kathy's face.

When Jennifer, Kathy and a med tech arrived in the Gate Room, they saw Evan and his team had already come through the Gate. He and Lieutenant Blake were flanking Captain Landon, who was holding his right leg up off the ground. All of the men were soaking wet and covered in mud and debris. Lieutenant Powell followed. He had a crude bandage wrapped around his hand.

"Get that gurney over here." Keller was yelling. Quickly the gurney was brought to the captain and he was gently helped onto it.

"Okay, let's get these men to the Infirmary. What happened out there, Major?" she asked as they made their way along the corridor to the transport.

"It started raining this afternoon and we were heading back to the Gate along a ridge when the ground just gave away. Landon was just unlucky enough to be closest to the edge of the hill. He went down, twisted his ankle. I went down to help him up and I slipped. No one else was hurt," Lorne explained.

"So what's the blood all over your hands and on your pants leg, Major? And what about the Lieutenant's hand?"

"It's nothing, just a couple scrapes that's all," the major replied with a touch of irritation in his voice.

"You don't mind if I give a second opinion, do you?" Dr Keller gave him a sharp look and headed off down the corridor. Lorne and the rest of his team followed her down to the Infirmary.

Dr Keller began to work on Captain Landon. She gently removed his boot and cut away the pant leg. There was mud, grass and dried blood all caked on his leg. There were several thorns embedded in the skin as well. She cleaned away the dirt and debris and removed the thorns. The captain also needed several stitches to close up a gaping wound just above the calf. Her initial assessment was that the ankle was probably just sprained. However she did order a scan, just in case. "You want to take him and get a good scan of that leg, Kathy? I want to make sure there are no hidden breaks. If it's only a sprain you can go ahead and wrap it up."

"Sure thing," she answered and quickly wheeled the captain off to the scanner. She had just finished cleaning up and bandaging Lieutenant Powell's hand, which had been scraped up pretty bad but at least it did not have any of the thorns embedded in it.

Evan had been watching Kat. Partly because that was his man she was working on and partly because he'd never actually seen her in action as a nurse before. It was like she was in a world of her own. He wasn't really paying attention to the nurse who was tending to his own leg, not until she started cleaning the wound. It stung a bit and that jolted him back. He flinched and pulled his leg away a bit.

"Sorry, Major."

"How's it look?" He turned his attention back to his own wound.

"Well, it looks like you'll probably need a few stitches. I've just started cleaning it but it appears to be pretty deep in a couple spots. I'm surprised it wasn't bothering you. Then again, I've heard you had a pretty high threshold for pain. But still, with this big thorn in there, I'm surprised it didn't hurt." As she talked to him she was removing a piece of wood about an inch and a half long. She held it up for him to see, then went back to cleaning more dirt and debris from the wound. She pulled a second thorn from his leg. Just then Dr Keller came over. Captain Landon had gone off for his scan.

"So what do we have here, Maggie?" Maggie picked up the tray with the thorns in it and showed it to Keller. "I pulled two of these out of his leg so far. There don't appear to be anymore, the rest is just mud and grass. I've about got it cleaned out. Looks like he's going to need a few stitches, though."

"Those look like the same thorns as the ones I took out of Captain Landon's leg. Let's send them down to the botany department; see if we can get an idea of what they are."

"So Doc, how's Landon?"

"Probably just a sprain, but I want to check for any hidden fractures. And some stitches. He'll be off his feet for a while. We'll know more after the scan. Looks like you all got some pretty good scrapes. Let's get this leg of yours stitched up so we can get you out of here." Dr Keller went about stitching up Evan's leg. It took five stitches to close up the worst of the lacerations. The rest she closed with several steri-strips. She put a waterproof dressing over the top so he could shower without getting the wound wet. While Keller was working on his leg, Maggie finished cleaning up his hands. She had to put a couple of steri-strips on his left hand and covered them with the waterproof dressing, too. She then gave him an antibiotic injection.

"You'll need to be careful showering for a couple days, Major." He was only partly listening.

"Yeah, sure, not a problem." Lorne was distracted because he saw Kat had returned with Captain Landon. He noticed the captain's leg was wrapped up. "So, Kat, what's the verdict? Is he gonna keep the leg or do we need to have Zelenka fit him with a bionic one?" He tried to make light of the whole thing for the sake of the other men on his team who were still there awaiting discharge. Dr Keller had to at least take a look at each one of them before they were allowed to leave.

"Just a sprain, he'll be up and kicking your butt in no time." She played along with his lightheartedness. Years of experience in the ER made her keenly aware of the games people played to ease tension. "So how are you doing?" She asked with a somewhat serious smile.

"He better not try or I'll bust him for assaulting a superior officer. Me, I'll be fine, right Doc?"

"Just a few stitches and some bumps, bruises and abrasions. He'll live," Jennifer had lightened up, too. She was taking off her gloves and was reaching for another pair before going to the next patient. "I just need some blood and he's free to go."

*****

"How long till you get through?" Evan asked Kat. She had stayed by his bedside while Jennifer and Maggie went to check on Blake and Powell so they could be released. She went ahead and took the blood sample while they were talking.

"About an hour. How you doing, really?" she asked in a lower tone of voice as she put a Band-Aid on his arm where she had just drawn the blood. She glanced down toward the foot of the bed.

"Don't feel a thing, honest."

"Give it time. When the numbness wears off, it'll probably sting a little. You probably should stay here till it wears off some. It might be a little hard walking right now. Unless you want crutches?" She smiled when she mentioned crutches knowing full well he'd refuse them.

"I'll wait, I certainly don't need crutches for a couple little stitches." He knew she was teasing so he actually _tried_ to sound annoyed. They both laughed.

"I was just making sure. You just lie back and rest, I'll finish up shortly then we can get you to a shower. Sorry, hon, but you really need one."

Evan laughed. "What ever gave you that idea?"

Kat smiled at him and patted his arm. She then turned away and went back to work. Evan leaned back, sighed and closed his eyes.

*****

"Hey, you ready to get outta here?" Kat was gently shaking Evan to wake him up as he had fallen asleep.

"Huh? Oh, sorry I must have fallen asleep."

"That's okay, you probably need it. Let's say we get you outta here, cleaned up and then you can get back to sleep. Here, let me help you down." She put out her arm to help him off the bed.

"I'm fine." Although there really wasn't anyone around to have seen it, he refused her help. Landon was asleep a couple beds over having been admitted for the remainder of the night. Evan slipped off the bed and when his bandaged left leg hit the ground the ankle started to give way. Kat ended up catching him.

"Sure tough guy. If you won't take my arm just take it easy, the numbness probably hasn't completely worn off so it's gonna be a little weak. Why don't you slip your boot on, it should help with stability."

He sat back down on the bed and slipped his boot on tying it loosely. He then stepped down again, a little more gingerly and was able to stand up straight supporting himself on the other leg. He didn't really feel much below the knee and especially the ankle so he hadn't realized it might not have much stability yet. He was also still a little groggy from being woken up. He'd been pretty deep in sleep when Kat came to get him.

"Feels funny, but I think it's waking up. Okay, I'll take the help." When he stood back up he did so with a little help from Kat and took a couple steps. _She's really good at this_, he thought to himself.

"Night, Jen. I'm gonna get him to a shower then back to bed. I had to wake him up just to get him out of here."

"Night Kath. Good night Major. Try and listen to your nurse and take it easy on that leg for a couple days. Get some rest, too."

"Will do, Doc, thanks and thanks for taking care of my guys so well. Sorry about the attitude earlier at the Gate." He knew he'd been a little short with Dr Keller in the Gate Room, but he always took it personally when one of his men got hurt.

"Don't worry about it, Major." Jennifer knew he had only been concerned about his men and didn't mean any disrespect.

*****

By the time Kat and Evan made it half way down the corridor to the transport, Evan was getting better at walking on his numb leg. Kat noticed it, too. "The blood circulating is helping wake it up. Just moving around a little will do wonders for it," she told him.

Evan was glad to be regaining the use of the ankle and foot. "Good. Here let me try it on my own," he said as he took his arm off Kat's shoulder. She gently let go of him as well, although being ever ready to catch him if he lost his balance. That was as much professional instinct as it was personal concern.

The ankle was waking up quite nicely and Evan was able to make the last twelve feet or so to the transport pretty much by himself, gingerly, but on his own. They entered the transport and Kat said as she reached for the control, "I'll make sure you get home in one piece."

"Thanks."

When the door opened they were just down the corridor from Evan's quarters. They slowly made their way to his door where they stopped. "This is home, although you already knew that. I can make it from here."

She smiled and passed her hand over the door crystal. "You're not home till you're inside. Now how would it look if I left you here and you fell down before getting in the door?" She was laughing as the door opened. She gently guided him inside.

"Okay, I'm inside so I must be officially _home_."

"I'm not leaving you here alone tonight." She was very emphatic and serious.

"Kat—"

Evan began to protest but she stopped him by putting her fingers to his lips and giving him one of her famous don't-argue-with-me-you're-going-to-lose looks. "Now, you really need to take a shower and get all that mud and sweat and whatever off you. I think everything can be saved in the wash. Do you want to toss the pants or do you want to make a pair of cutoffs out of them?"

_How quickly she'd changed the subject and steered the conversation in a totally new direction._ "I suppose I can, although there really isn't a whole lot of opportunity to wear shorts around here. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to have a pair, so yeah, let's see if we can't save 'em." Evan sat down in the chair and started to unlace his boots.

"Want some help?" Kat asked. She sat down on the bed across from him. She wasn't about to jump in and help him even though they were in the privacy of his quarters.

"No thanks, I got it." While the scrapes and bruises on his hands made unlacing his boots a little more difficult he was glad she asked before just jumping in to help him. He wouldn't have pushed her away if she had; he was just grateful that she hadn't. He wasn't sure he was ready for that kind of attention. Fortunately he didn't have to fumble with the buttons of his coat or shirt as they had been removed in the Infirmary and carried back with him. All he had left was his tee shirt.

Evan removed his boots and pants (what was left of them) and then stood up. He gingerly walked towards the bathroom tossing his dirty clothes in the mesh hamper in the corner. He turned and looked at Kat.

"You need me to wash your back?" She smiled at him from where she was sitting on the edge of the bed. She made no move to get up. Instead she reached down and took off her shoes and socks. She was letting him pretty much call the shots as to what happened next.

Evan took off his tee shirt and tossed it in the hamper with the rest of his muddy clothes. "I think I can manage, I'll call you if I need any help." He smiled at her, turned and went into the bathroom, leaving the door ajar about six inches.

"Okay, I'll be here. Just be mindful of those bandages," she reminded him. She took her comm-link out of her ear, placed it on the table next to the bed and then took her hair out of its ponytail. She reached across the bed and grabbed an afghan that was across the back of one of the chairs. She lay down and covered herself up with it. She was tired. The sound of the shower in the next room had a mesmerizing effect on her. She didn't realize how tired she was till her head hit the pillow. She had been running on almost pure adrenaline since the call to go to the Gate Room. When she saw it was Evan and his team, although he wasn't seriously injured nor did it appear anyone else had been for that matter, she had still felt a touch of extra concern just _because_ it had been him.

The hot water of the shower felt good to Evan. The rain had been cold and the mud just trapped it all in. He'd warmed up some in the Infirmary, but the hot water still felt good. He felt odd and a little drowsy, not fully awake from his nap earlier. He almost wished Kat had just left him in the Infirmary to sleep. But the shower did feel good. The tension in his muscles washed away with the mud and sweat. He half thought about calling her to scrub his back, but changed his mind.

Kat never heard the shower stop or Evan come out. He laid his comm-link on the dresser and stood there watching her sleep. He limped over to the bed and slid under the covers next to her. He was asleep almost instantly.

*****

Kat opened her eyes and saw light streaming in from half drawn curtains. She saw the clock on the bedside table. It was early afternoon. Evan's arm was draped across her waist atop the afghan she was covered with. She felt warm and safe. She was also hungry. Kat turned over and he stirred slightly. "Morning," she said as she kissed him lightly.

Evan just groaned and muttered something back that could have been "morning."

Kat smiled and kissed him again then slid out from beneath his arm. She gathered her things and went into the bathroom. She found a washcloth, washed her face and then used Evan's comb to fix her hair back into a ponytail. After making herself a bit more presentable she went back out to where he was still sleeping. She leaned in and said, "Hey, hon, I'm starved. I'm going down to get something to eat. You want anything?"

"Cold," he mumbled.

"What?" She wasn't sure she understood him.

"Cold."

"Nice try, pal. But I'm not going to warm you up. If you're cold maybe you should put some clothes on or at least cover up." She put his arm back under the covers and then spread the afghan over top of him. "Here maybe this will help. I'll check on you later." She tucked him in beneath all the blankets.

Kat turned to take another look at the sleeping Evan before stepping out into the corridor. He looked so peaceful and yet there was something unsettling about it. Evan was a military man, someone who had learned after many years how to sleep with one eye open and to be a very light sleeper. Why, then, did he not wake up when she spoke to him or when she got out of bed? She figured it must be a combination of fatigue and the antibiotic he'd been given. She planned to come back after she had lunch.

*****

Kat was sitting alone eating lunch. "Hi, Judy." Judy had come on duty about half way through Kathy's shift.

"Hi, Kathy. Mind if I join you or are you waiting for someone." She smiled when she said it. She had seen Kat and Evan leave the Infirmary together earlier.

"Sit, I'm not waiting for anyone in particular. Just came to get something to eat before I went back to bed. I have another shift tonight."

"I see. Say, how is the Major?" Her tone was more professional concern than personal curiosity.

"Fine the last time I checked on him a bit ago. Why?" She wasn't about to tell Judy she'd spent the rest of the night and this morning with him. Nothing had happened between them but she still felt disheveled even though she had tried to make herself look presentable.

"Oh, then you haven't heard about Captain Landon?"

"No, what happened. He looked like he was resting comfortably when I left."

"A couple of hours after you left, he spiked a fever. He was still running one when I left but not near what it had been. That was an hour or so ago. You might want to keep an eye on Major Lorne."

Kathy had finished her lunch and was eager to get back to Evan. The news of the captain's fever got her to thinking. Maybe he wasn't just teasing her when he said he was cold. Maybe he was actually sick. Sometimes chills can precede a fever. She excused herself. "I feel better now that I ate, maybe I'll swing past the Infirmary and see how the captain is doing and then go by Major Lorne's quarters before heading back to bed. Thanks for the info."

Kathy decided she would go back to Evan's first and see how he was doing. She tried not to run to the transport but she started to get a bad feeling that something wasn't right. Maybe there was something to the thought she'd had when she looked back at him sleeping before she left. "Evan." She tried reaching him by comm-link as she made her way down the corridor. "Evan, please respond." She gave him plenty of time to get from the bed to the dresser. She'd seen his comm sitting on the dresser when she left. Oh why hadn't she moved it closer to the bed? She entered the transport and tapped the control.

She quickly reached his door and entered the room. Immediately she could sense something terribly wrong. She could tell he'd been up. One of the dresser drawers was open. Evan was curled up in a fetal-like position under the blankets. She went to his side. The blankets felt damp and the afghan was on the floor. She pulled back the covers and saw he had indeed been up. He was wearing a light pair of sweatpants and a tee shirt. He had heard her when she told him to put something on if he was cold. Only now, he was soaked. He did have the start of a fever when she left. Apparently it must have spiked while she was out causing him to sweat beneath all the layers of clothing and blankets. He was shivering. She felt his forehead and cheeks. He was burning up with fever. She then checked his pulse. His heart was racing. She pulled his pant leg up from his left leg. The wound was red and swollen beyond the edges of the dressing. He was definitely in trouble.

Kat was about to call for a medical team when her comm-link went off. "Kathy, this is Dr Beckett, where are you?"

"I'm with Evan in his quarters, I was just about to call you," she said.

"What are his symptoms?" There was urgency in Beckett's voice as he cut Kathy off. His question startled her a bit. How did he know that anything was wrong?

"Fever, chills, rapid pulse and his wound appears infected. But how did you know?"

"Captain Landon started showing signs earlier this morning and we just learned that those thorns he and the major picked up in their little tumble down the hill were poisonous. We're on our way."

Katherine felt like she had been punched in the gut. She was concerned when Judy told her that Landon had gotten ill, but there was no mention of poisonous thorns or poison. His fever could have come as a result of a number of things. She was able to get Evan out of his wet shirt and wrapped him in the afghan to try and dry him off. She then told him what Beckett had told her.

"Those thorns Maggie pulled from your leg were poisonous. Dr Beckett is on his way now. We'll get you back to the Infirmary and get started treating you right away. Just hang in there." She was trying to reassure him as much as she was herself. She held him tight trying to stop his shivering. She could hear subtle changes in his breathing.

Just then the door opened and in came Dr Beckett and a med tech with a gurney. Beckett rushed to the bed and did a brief exam of Evan.

"How's Landon, Doc?" Evan struggled to get the words out. His breathing was indeed becoming labored.

"Not good, I'm afraid, he was just put on a ventilator. We need to get you down to the Infirmary now." Kat and Beckett helped Evan onto the gurney, which had been brought close to the bed.

*****

He stirred a little and opened his eyes. Evan saw Carson standing next to the bed with a tablet. Carson noticed Evan looking at him. "Welcome back, son. You gave us quite a scare."

Evan felt something on his arm and looked down. He saw Kat sitting in a chair with her head down on his arm. Carson saw him looking at her. "She's been here day and night since you were admitted. Wouldn't let anyone else do anything for you. Insisted on doing it all herself."

Evan reached across his body and stroked her hair. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. He could see she was exhausted. "Hey you." He smiled and touched her face.

"Hey yourself." She got up from the chair and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. A tear ran down her cheek. He reached out and wiped it away and then took her in his arms pulling her close to him. She hugged him back. She started crying into his shoulder, the stress and strain of the past week washing out of her.

"I love you, Kat." He held her tight and his voice quivered.

"I love you, Evan."

*****  
^^^^^^^


	5. Chapter 5

Hearts Afire

Captain Pete Landon died of acute respiratory distress four days after returning from M74-291. Both he and Major Evan Lorne had picked up several poisonous thorns in a fall down a muddy hill. Evan was admitted the day after their return with an extremely high fever and shortness of breath. He fell into a coma two days later and was put on a ventilator at that time. He was fortunate to improve enough within the first few days to be taken off mechanical ventilation. However he did not come out of his coma for several more days. The infection in his lower left leg required surgical debridement on three occasions, twice while he was still in the coma, for the removal of necrotic tissue. Katherine Anderson had stayed by his bedside around the clock caring for him.

Upon his release, Kat also stayed with him in his quarters when she wasn't working. She'd check on him at least every couple of hours if only by radio for the first few days. It was during this first week that it became apparent that Evan's quarters were a little crowded for the two of them and since her quarters were a little larger, Evan eventually semi-moved in with Kat. For some reason civilian quarters were a little larger than those that had been designated for the military.

It had been almost six weeks since Evan's fever finally broke and he came out of his coma and just over a month since his release from the Infirmary so Colonel Sheppard wasn't surprised when Major Lorne asked for leave to go back to Earth to finish his recovery. The major still had a few weeks of therapy and rehab before he would be declared fit enough to return to duty. Sheppard wasn't surprised that much when Lorne asked that Katherine Anderson be allowed to accompany him. She was, after all, his nurse as well as his therapist. It was also apparent that she was his girlfriend, too. What did surprise the colonel, however, was what Lorne said he planned to _do_ while on Earth. He planned on getting married.

"So, you popped the question, huh? And she said _yes_?" Sheppard, along with everyone else in the city knew about Evan and Kat by this time. They all knew about his illness, how she stayed by his side the entire time and that he had moved into her quarters. So John wasn't really surprised to hear their relationship had advanced to the next level. He was just a little taken aback about the major's plans to get married – so soon.

"Well, I haven't exactly asked her, yet."

"Then how do you know she'll say _yes_? And as for getting married right away, women are strange creatures when it comes to their own weddings. They plan, change their minds, plan some more, change their minds some more and then plan again. They don't like to be rushed and they don't always like surprises."

"Kat's not like most women. If she's of a mind to say _yes_, which I'm pretty certain she will or I wouldn't be asking her, then she'll probably want to have the wedding sooner than later. Especially given what happened last time."

"Oh yeah, that whole writing-a-note-and-slipping-out-while-she-was-working thing, huh?"

"Ah, yeah, that."

"Well, okay then. Good luck. I hope everything works out the way you want. I'm sure it will. Kathy Anderson is a fine woman. And it's not hard to see how she feels about you."

"Thank you, sir. I agree Kat is a fine woman and a wonderful person. I know we will be very happy together."

"There is one thing I'd like you to do while you're back on Earth, Major." Sheppard had changed the tone of the conversation to a more serious matter.

"Kat and I already discussed it. We plan on making a visit to Captain Landon's family."

"Good. I sent a letter with his belongings when we sent the body back, but those letters always seem so impersonal no matter how hard you try. Not quite what the lady probably wants to do if it turns out to be her honeymoon."

"No probably not, but if she's going to marry a military man then there are things she's going to have to get used to, even if the timing isn't perfect. I don't see it as being an issue with her."

"Well, that's good to know. Anyway, I don't see any problem with her getting leave to go with you, but you will have to get that approved by Colonel Carter."

"I think Kat was going to talk to her this afternoon about it."

*****

Colonel Carter was sitting at her desk going over some briefings when Katherine knocked on her door. "Come in, Kathy. What can I do for you? By the way, how is Major Lorne coming along? I'd say he was lucky to have had someone with your training in traumatic injury care on hand in Atlantis. I'd hate to think of what might have happened if you'd not been on here."

"Thank you. Evan is recovering nicely. He is a great patient, most of the time. He does overdo it once in a while but the scarring in his lungs tends to keep the over-exertion to a minimum. I'm hoping it won't be too much longer before he can return to duty, at least on a limited basis. I'm afraid it might take a little more time until he regains full strength in his leg. There was a lot of muscle damage from the infection. Which brings me to why I am here. I was hoping to get a couple weeks leave to go back to Earth with him. I know he was planning on talking to Colonel Sheppard about it this morning but I guess I have to go through you for my own leave. I know he wants to go see Captain Landon's family and Dr Beckett and Dr Keller both think that a change of scenery might do him good. Like I said, I was hoping to go with him. I think he is going stir-crazy around here not being able to really contribute much."

"Well, I don't see why you can't, especially if Beckett and Keller think it would be good for the major. And with you being his therapist I doubt they would object to your accompanying him. Just let me know when you're ready to leave."

"Thank you, Colonel. I'm hoping we'll be able to leave in a couple of days." Kathy turned and left Carter's office. She was heading back to the Infirmary for the start of her nursing shift. She tried to do as much therapy work with Evan as she could after her regular shifts so she did not have to schedule him in with her other four PT patients. Kathy wondered if it had been more than chance that brought her to Atlantis. Perhaps it was destiny that she received her advanced training and was then able to use it to help the one person who had, for all practical purposes, been the reason for her choosing that path.

*****

Evan was sitting on the bed reading when Kat came in. She looked tired. "Hard day, babe?"

Kat came over to the bed, took off her shoes and lay down beside where Evan was sitting. "Not so much, really. I'm just tired and sore. I think I overdid it sparring with Teyla the last couple days. I must be outta shape."

"You, out of shape, not a chance. How 'bout I give you a back rub?" He started to massage Kat's shoulders.

"Oh, yes, that feels wonderful. You have such magic fingers." Kat started to slowly relax. She even started to drift off to sleep.

"You want to grab dinner or just sleep awhile." Evan leaned down, kissed her neck and whispered in her ear. He knew she was falling asleep and really didn't want to wake her if he could help it but he figured she hadn't eaten in quite a while and would be hungry.

"Yes," she answered, groggily.

"Yes, what?" he whispered back.

"Yes, I'm starved and want to eat but I'm also tired and want to sleep."

"Well then why don't you stay here and sleep and I'll go down and grab us something. I'll bring it back and we can just eat in."

"Okay," she said sleepily.

"Okay." Evan kissed her on the neck again then took the afghan from the foot of the bed and covered her with it. It was the same one from his quarters, one his grandmother had given him. He had brought it with him when he moved in with Kat a few weeks earlier. She curled up under the blanket. He went out to get them dinner.

When Evan returned about 20 minutes later, Kat was still sleeping. He didn't want to wake her, but he knew she probably hadn't eaten much during the day and she needed to keep her strength up with the schedule she'd been keeping.

"Babe, dinner is served." He'd set the tray down on the table and gone over to the bed where she still lay sleeping. He gently shook her to wake her.

"Mmmm, smells wonderful." Kat rolled over, stretched and threw her legs off the bed. "Whoa." She wavered a little as she sat up. Evan caught her before she fell back on the bed.

"Hey, you okay? What happened?" he said as he sat down beside her still holding onto her. She was leaning into him.

"Just a little dizzy spell, that's all. I'm probably hungrier than I thought and just sat up too fast. I'm fine, really. No biggie." She had straightened up and the spell appeared to have passed.

Evan was looking at her with some concern. "Are you sure? Didn't you have one of those dizzy spells a couple days ago, too? Maybe you should have Dr Keller check you out before we go back to Earth. Wouldn't want you taking some Pegasus Galaxy bug back with us, would we? You have been working pretty hard the past couple weeks. You need to slow down a bit."

"Look, sweetie, people get dizzy spells when they get up too fast or don't eat or both or for a dozen other reasons, but if it will make you feel better I'll have Jen give me the once-over tomorrow." She touched his cheek and gave him a quick kiss. "Okay? Now what did you bring for dinner?"

"Okay, I guess." He looked serious at her as he slid the table closer to the bed. There were two salads, a plate of ham, some scalloped potatoes and some cranberries. For dessert he brought a slice of apple and a slice of cherry pie.

"Oh yum, that looks delicious. Did you eat already?" She pulled the tray over directly in front of her. She was teasing him and laughing. He lightened up and laughed back as she pushed the tray away and to the middle of the table. She reached for a fork and stuck it into one of the salad bowls.

"Well, I guess you are feeling better, aren't you? Ah, I have something I want to talk to you about but maybe I'll wait till we finish eating." All of a sudden Evan was having trouble finding the words. Her little dizzy spell caught him off guard and his concern was showing.

"What is it?" She asked as she took a forkful of salad.

"No, really, let's eat first, I know you're starved."

"Well, alright then. And you're right I am starved. I kinda worked through lunch again today." She took another bite of her salad. "Say, did you talk to Colonel Sheppard about getting leave to go back to Earth for a couple weeks? I talked to Colonel Carter and she gave me mine."

"Yes, the colonel said if you got okayed by Colonel Carter, it was fine by him. We can leave whenever you're ready. And I wish you would quit working through meals. Look what happened just now. I'm mending quite well, Carson said so himself, so will you start taking better care of yourself? Please?"

"I will, I promise." She leaned forward and kissed him. "I love you, Evan."

"I love you, too, Kat. Will you marry me?" It kind of just slipped out. Evan didn't realize he had said it till he heard the words come out of his mouth. He just got caught up in the heat of the moment and it slipped out. It wasn't quite how he had wanted to do it, but it was too late now. The proverbial cat was out of the bag.

Kat sat motionless. His question wasn't totally out of left field but she still hadn't really expected it, not yet, anyway. The subject of marriage had not even come up between them verbally, but nonetheless there was a certain look in Evan's eyes that made her think that it might some day, if not by him, then by her. She didn't want to rush things and scare him off given what happened the first time around.

It seemed like an eternity to Evan as he watched Kat just sit there and stare at him. _This is totally not the way I had this planned. Planned, you idiot, you didn't have a plan; you were going into this without a plan. What kind of officer does that make you?_ He searched her face for some kind of answer. Then he saw her eyes light up.

"Oh Evan. You bet I will." She threw her arms around him, tears of joy spilling from her eyes. He embraced her back then pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I thought that while we were back on Earth, we could, well, you know…"

"Evan, I'd marry you this instant if we could find a preacher." The tears had stopped. Evan took her in his arms and kissed her deeply and passionately.

*****

"So what did Dr Keller say, how are you?" Evan had come down to the Infirmary to make sure she went to lunch, even if he had to drag her.

"What? Oh, I didn't get the chance to talk to her yet. I'll have her check me out this afternoon."

"No, you'll have her check you out now. Hey Doc!" Evan was firm in his conviction to have Keller give Kat a checkup. Lunch could wait.

Dr Keller was just coming through the door. "What's up, Major? Your therapist making you work too hard? She's the one with the specialized training, not me. I'm afraid you're on your own there." Keller came over to where the two were talking.

"No, nothing like that, Doc. Actually I need you to give Kat a checkup. She's had a couple dizzy spells and _claims_ they were because she was tired or hadn't eaten. I'd just like to get another opinion. Especially since I asked her to marry me and we will be going back to Earth in a few days."

"You proposed?" She then looked at Kat. "And I assume you said _yes_?"

"Of course I said _yes_," Kat was practically beaming.

Jennifer gave Kat a congratulatory hug and then said, "So what's this Evan says about you having dizzy spells? You never mentioned anything to me."

"They weren't that bad, I just stood up too fast the other day and yesterday sat up too fast. I've been tired and haven't really been eating too well some days. I didn't think much of it, but Evan is insisting that I get checked before we go back to Earth. So, check me out and give me my clean bill of health so he will relax." She patted his chest and looked up at him with a smile.

"Well, then let's have a look. Hop up on the bed, Kath. I'll take a blood sample and then put you under the scanner to see if there is anything to see. Okay?"

"Okay." Kathy hopped up on one of the beds near where they were standing while Jennifer went and got a few things in order to draw the blood.

"There, now that's taken care of," Jennifer said after getting a tube of blood. "I'll have that checked right away. Let's get you under that scanner. Are there any other symptoms you haven't mentioned? Headache, body aches, anything?"

"Feeling like I got hit by a truck?" Kathy said jokingly as she lay down on the table beneath the scanner. "I guess I've felt just run down all over, but I have been putting in some long days lately and like I said, not eating well."

"What!" Evan did not see the humor in Kat's joke about the way she felt. He knew she was tired and run down but didn't think it was as bad as she was joking about.

"I'm kidding, hon, honest. It's not that bad." Kat tried to reassure him but by the look on his face it wasn't working too well. "Look, let's just let Jennifer tell you. So Jen, nothing weird or alien floating around in my body, right?"

"Jen?" Kat asked again since it appeared that Jennifer had not heard her the first time.

"Doc? What is it? What's wrong?" Evan was growing concerned by the look on Dr Keller's face.

"Oh, sorry, ah, nothing is _wrong_. Just, well, here, let me just show you." She turned the screen so Kat and Evan could see it. Kat sat up.

They both looked at the screen. Evan thought it looked familiar. Kat looked at it then looked at Jen. An odd look came over her face. "Is that what I think?" she pointed at a small area on the screen.

"Is what what?" Evan was looking at the screen where Kat was pointing and realized they were looking at the same thing. This was a bit different than the first time he'd seen it but he was certain he'd seen it once before. When he went to the doctor's with his sister when she was pregnant with her first son. But that had been years before and on a totally different type of machine.

"Yes it is. Congratulations, Kath, you're pregnant. I'd say about nine weeks from the looks of things."

Both Evan and Kat were speechless. Evan had put his arms around Kat's shoulders as they looked at the screen. Kat was the one to break the silence. "I guess that shot they gave me before sending me out here didn't work. They might have to put some type of disclaimer on it about limited success in other galaxies."

"I'll print a copy of this for your scrapbook and leave you two alone for awhile. Congratulations again, both of you." She printed a copy of the scan for them and then gave Kathy a hug. "We need to get you started on some prenatal care, Kath. I'd start with eating better. And I have a multivitamin injection I can give you but you'll need to get some prenatal vitamins when you get back to Earth."

*****

Kat and Evan sat quietly at a table in the cafeteria. Kat was toying with her food. Evan wasn't even touching his. He kept looking at her. There was a certain glow about her that he hadn't really noticed. Or had he? There had been something different about her since his illness. He'd just not been able to put his finger on it. Not until now, that was. "You really need to eat, sweetie."

"I know, I know. I just can't believe it. We're having a baby, Evan." She had placed her hand on his.

"I know it's taking a bit of getting used to isn't it? We talked about having kids the first time but—"

"Well, we hadn't even discussed getting married till last night." Kat interrupted him. "We haven't really had time to talk about having kids."

"I guess it's kind of a moot point now, isn't it?" Evan said matter-of-factly. "Wow, I'm not sure where we should start. I guess Colonel Carter will need to know. I just wonder…" He stopped before finishing his sentence.

"If the powers that be will allow us or me more specifically, to even remain here in Atlantis?" Kat finished his sentence for him. She knew what he was thinking. "It's entirely possible that they won't let me stay. And even if they did, I don't know how I feel about having a baby way out here. I mean what if—"

"Hey, don't even go there, Kat. _Nothing_ is going to go wrong. I think we've been through enough for one lifetime, don't you? We'll deal with the powers that be later. Right now I want you to eat. Then get yourself back down to Keller and get that exam she was talking about. Do I make myself clear?" This time it was Evan who interrupted Kat. He was adamant.

"Yes, you've made yourself clear. I'm sorry I guess it's the hormones messing with my head. And I'm eating. See?" Kat took a forkful of the casserole that she had chosen for her lunch. It was actually pretty good.

"Hi you two." It was Colonel Sheppard. "Mind if I join you? Or are you having some intensely personal conversation and not want to be interrupted?"

"Colonel, please sit." Kat motioned for Sheppard to join them. Evan nodded in agreement.

"So how's everything, Major?" Sheppard looked at Evan with a look that the major understood.

"Fine, sir. And no, the surprise is no longer a surprise. She said yes."

"Well, congratulations you two. I'm sure you'll be very happy." John extended a hand to Kat. She took it and thanked him. He then did the same to Evan. "You're one lucky dog, Lorne."

"Oh and we're having a baby." Evan said as he shook the colonel's hand.

You could have knocked John Sheppard over with a feather. He was taken totally off guard. "Ah, wow, you don't say? A baby, huh? That changes things a bit I'd say. Have you said anything to Colonel Carter yet?"

"No, we just found out, actually. Figured we'd do that this afternoon. Kat needs to eat and then go back and see Keller. We'll go up and see the colonel afterwards."

*****  
^^^^^^


	6. Chapter 6

The Rain is Hot

Colonel Carter was definitely surprised by the way things had changed since her earlier talk with Kathy about taking leave with Evan in order to expedite his recovery from his recent illness. When the two came to her with the news they planned to be married she was happy for them. But when they told her they were also expecting a baby, she wasn't sure just what to say. A part of her was happy for them and a bit envious yet another part was concerned. She had given up the opportunity to marry and possibly have a family of her own more than once. So when Kathy and Evan told her the news she said she would do whatever she could to not let red tape get in the way. She made them no promises but said she would try. She did go as far as saying that by them getting married it might be a little harder for the IOA to send her back alone. It might come down to Major Lorne having to be reassigned to Earth. He had made it painfully clear that there was no way he was going to leave his wife alone on Earth to have and raise his child. If he had to go, then so be it. He was a career military man and up until this point would of placed that service ahead of anything, including his own happiness. But the baby changed everything for him. He would not turn his back on his child or his child's mother.

So Kat and Evan returned to Earth. Colonel Carter had arranged for them to have three weeks instead of the two they had requested. The first thing they did was check in with Dr Janet Frasier. Dr Beckett had forwarded both their records to her.

Kat made it clear that she was concerned Evan might be heading for a relapse as she had been seeing little things that she didn't like. Likewise, Evan was concerned for Kat and the baby since she was so far along before they even learned about the pregnancy. Dr Frasier gave them both thorough check ups and was satisfied they were both fit enough to travel to Pennsylvania and maybe California.

Kat had gotten to know Dr Frasier during her initial training. She had also gotten to be friends with Janet's daughter, Cassie. When Cassie learned that Kat and Evan were planning on getting married she insisted on being able to plan the whole thing. She was certain she could get it done in a few days and they wouldn't have to do a thing.

Evan was fine with whatever Kat wanted and when she released the reins of planning to Cassie it was settled. All they would have to do would be show up, say their _I do's_ and then be off on their honeymoon. Cassie said she'd make those arrangements, too, but Evan insisted on taking care of the honeymoon plans himself. It was agreed that the two would get the unpleasant task of visiting the family of Captain Landon out of the way first so they wouldn't have it hanging over their heads.

The only sticking point to the whole matter was Evan's family. They both would have liked to have included them either in the ceremony or at least have been able to invite them to attend. But time was not on their side and Evan was still not up to full strength – far from it. The added pressure of Kat's pregnancy was weighing on him and he was finding himself tiring more rapidly than he had been. He tried to not let Kat see this but in spite of her own condition, he wasn't able to get anything past her. She saw right through his act.

*****

"Honey, you're overdoing it, you really need to try and ease up a little. I won't have you suffering a relapse the day before our wedding." Kat scolded him. They had wrapped up the visit with the Landon's and were slowly walking down the sidewalk back to the car. Evan still had a definite limp, the result of the damage to his leg from the infection. "Give me the keys, I'll drive back to the hotel, you rest. We don't leave to go back to Colorado Springs till tomorrow." He didn't argue he just handed over the car keys.

They had parked on the opposite side of the street so he opened the door for her to get in then went around and got in on the passenger side. He leaned his head back against the seat, trying to stifle a yawn.

"See, I told you, you're tired. Evan, you're going to make yourself sick again. You really need to slow down a bit." She tried not to scold but couldn't help it. She was worried about him.

"I know, I'm sorry. Look after the wedding I promise I'll be good. Heck just getting today out of the way is a load off my mind. I really wasn't looking forward to this. With Cassie taking care of the wedding plans what more is there for me to do. I'm pretty much done with the honeymoon arrangements."

"I hope so, I don't want to have to worry about you." She touched his face and gave him a smile. "So are you ever gonna tell me where we're going?" Evan had refused to let her in on his plans. It frustrated her because she didn't know whether to pack a swimsuit or a snowsuit.

"Sure, after we get there," he laughed. He knew it bugged her that he was keeping it a secret, but he also knew she wasn't upset – not really. It was kind of a big joke between them. He used to plan weekend getaways when they were together all those years before and they always turned out to be absolutely wonderful trips. She knew that so she wasn't too nervous about this one; it was just a game they had played before and were playing again.

She shot him that oh-you look that she had perfected a long time ago then started to laugh with him. She started the car and pulled away. She was going straight back to the hotel and make him take a nap. She figured it would do her good to get one in, too, although she had been feeling remarkably well, considering.

So far the pregnancy was agreeing with her completely. She just hoped it stayed that way. She hoped that once things settled down she wouldn't start experiencing some of the unpleasantries that were often considered normal. She contributed her good luck so far to the fact that things in her life had been in such turmoil practically since the night she conceived. Looking back, some of the things she had thought were just from the stress and strain she was under because of Evan being so ill may have actually been signs of pregnancy.

*****

Cassie met Kat and Evan at the airport and on the ride back to the SGC explained the schedule for the next couple of days. They had two days till the wedding. They would be able to relax for the remainder of today then tomorrow Cassie would be by to pick up Kat at 0900 to go get her wedding dress. Cassie had already made some preliminary choices based on previous discussions with Kat. The day after, 1400 sharp, was the big day.

While they were out dress shopping, Evan would go pick up the rings. The two of them had gone to a jeweler that had been recommended by one of the airmen at the SGC. It turned out to be a good choice. They found just what they wanted and the price was reasonable. Evan's ring needed to be sized just a bit and the owner said it would be done by the end of the next day and he'd do it for free. The owner was very good to service people. Since he and Kat would be out of town for a couple days Evan said that he'd pick them up when they got back.

That evening there would be a small dinner, a kind of rehearsal dinner. Daniel Jackson would get Evan and Kat to the restaurant about 1830. After dinner Kat would go home with Cassie and Janet. Daniel would then take Evan back to the SGC. Cassie insisted that Kat stay by her and Janet the night before the wedding. Couldn't let the groom see the bride in her dress before the wedding! Daniel would make sure Evan got to the church on time. Evan and Daniel had become acquainted when Evan first joined the SGC. They had remained friends even though they were not really working together anymore.

Cassie and Janet arrived at the SGC the next morning promptly at 0900. Kat was ready to go and was actually looking forward to some good old American shopping. Janet wasn't sure if she would be able to join them but it turned out that another doctor was willing to cover her shift and so she was able to come along. Cassie had indeed made some lovely choices and Kat found three right off that she really liked. All of them were cream-colored and tee-length, just what she had said she thought she would like—if it could be found. The only differences were in the collars and the sleeve length. Since it was late April Kat decided on the three-quarter-length sleeve one with the scoop neck and rounded collar. She didn't want the long sleeved one or the sleeveless one as she thought one might be too warm and the other she might actually get too cold in.

Then of course there were the bouquet, the shoes, the purse, and the veil. There was a beautiful shoulder-length veil that matched the dress perfectly. It had a dozen little yellow rosettes on the headpiece itself. Kat said if they could replace one of the yellow ones with a single red rosette it would be perfect. The saleslady said that would not be a problem and then asked why. Kat explained how years ago Evan had drawn her a single yellow rose for eleven straight days and then on the twelfth day given her an actual live red rose. Eleven yellow roses and one red rose became her favorite flower combination ever since.

"Then a while back he gave me a painting of that very combination as a present. And, well, that was the night we conceived our baby," she said as she laid her hand on her stomach. "So, it has a special meaning for both of us."

The saleslady was touched although hadn't realized that Kat was pregnant. "What a beautiful story. When are you due, my dear?"

"In about seven months," Kat said.

"That is a beautiful dress and you look stunning in it, but I'm not sure how much it will be able to be let out. We do have some actual maternity-type dresses in another part of the shop. They are very adjustable and just as beautiful." The saleslady just assumed that the wedding was a ways off.

"Oh that's not a problem, it fits perfectly right now and the wedding is tomorrow so I don't think I'm going to outgrow it overnight." She was looking in the mirror at how it fit across her stomach. She was a little over ten weeks along and still wasn't showing. She was sure it wouldn't be too much longer before that changed however.

"Oh my, I didn't realize it was so soon. Why did you wait till the last minute to get your dress, my dear?" The saleslady was an older woman. She sounded shocked that Kat had waited till the day before the wedding to come pick out a dress. There was no time to do any alterations.

"Well to make a long story short, my fiancée is in the Air Force and is stationed at a rather remote base. I am a civilian nurse at the same base. He got seriously ill several weeks ago and we came back here in order for him to continue his recovery. We only have a short time and we wanted to get married while we were here. There weren't any bridal shops near by, so, here we are." Kat did an excellent job of making up a believable story about where the two were stationed. She couldn't very well say, "_We're stationed in another galaxy_…"

"That's definitely a good reason, my dear. I certainly hope your young man is doing well. I'm sure it's been hard on you, especially in your condition. I wish you both the best." She gave Kat a grandmotherly hug.

"Evan is doing much better, thank you."

The next morning dawned with bright sunshine and a light breeze. It was going to be a beautiful day for a wedding.

*****  
^^^^^^


	7. Chapter 7

The Sun is Cold

It took a lot of persuasion for Colonel Carter to convince the IOA to not _insist_ that Katherine Anderson Lorne be reassigned to Earth immediately and permanently. Actually it took a lot of persuasion on the part of Colonel Carter, Colonel Sheppard, Dr Beckett and Dr Keller. The fact that Major Evan Lorne was third in command of Atlantis was the basis of their argument. Kat and Evan had gotten married while they were on leave on Earth and it was argued that the loss of such a valued military member of the expedition would not be a good thing. Evan had made it clear that if his wife were not allowed to return to Atlantis that he would not return either. He even went so far as to threaten to resign his commission.

It was almost six weeks before Kat and Evan were able to return to Atlantis. Shortly after they returned from their honeymoon Kat suffered a bout with what appeared to be a 48-hour bug. Then Evan had a setback in his recovery a couple of days before they were to leave Earth. The stress of the past few weeks and everything that had happened brought on a slight case of pneumonia and Dr Frasier would not allow him to leave thus forcing them to extend their stay. They also never got the chance to go see Evan's family out in California. When they finally did return they were met with congratulatory banners and even a small party.

By the time they returned to Atlantis, Kat was starting to show her pregnancy especially in her normal base uniform. Her scrubs were still loose enough to fit pretty well. She had picked up some maternity clothes while on Earth and gone up a size in the uniform pants. She was a little over four months along and feeling pretty good. She started having some morning sickness but it wasn't bad and it usually seemed to be related to what and when she ate the night before. She was figuring out what triggered it much better and had learned to avoid those foods and to eat regularly.

*****

"It's nice to have you back, Kathy. Marriage definitely seems to be agreeing with you." Dr Beckett gave Kat a big hug when she walked into the Infirmary. He'd been off world when she and Evan had returned from Earth.

"Thanks, but I don't think it's just being married." She laid a hand on her stomach. "I think the baby has as much to do with it as anything."

"Yes, you do have that certain glow, my dear. How's Major Lorne feeling? I got Dr Frasier's report on what happened. I would like to see him soon, though."

"He's doing pretty good. He took Captain Landon's death rather hard. Going to see the family was quite a strain on him. I will make sure he gets down to see you this afternoon."

"That will be fine. How are you doing? I understand you came down with a bit of a bug yourself on Earth. I hope you don't go overdoing it? I know you were working some pretty long hours before you left. I'd hate to see you return to that schedule."

"Oh I don't see that happening. It looks like I've only one therapy patient, plus Evan of course. Somehow between you, Dr Keller, the entire nursing staff and Evan, I think it's safe to say I won't be able to overdo it."

*****

Kat was sitting at a workstation in the Infirmary. She stood up when Evan came in. He and his team had just returned from a mission and were there for their mandatory post-mission check.

"You look tired, babe, everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just haven't been sleeping well lately. Getting up every couple of hours to go to the bathroom tends to disrupt my sleep. I have a checkup with Jennifer in the morning and I'll see if she has any suggestions. I doubt it though; I think this is one of those things that comes with the territory of being pregnant. And it's just going to get worse before it gets better."

"Why don't you let Maggie handle this? You take it easy."

"Evan, it's my job, you know that. I can't be slacking off just because of this." She put her hand on her expanding belly. By now she was really starting to show. It was as if the baby grew overnight and so did her belly. They would even be able to tell if it was a boy or a girl by now. "I was thinking of having Jen tell me what we're having. It will make getting clothes and picking a name a whole lot easier. Janet and Cassie said they would send stuff when I get a little closer to delivering."

"No you can't be slacking off, but I'm not asking you to. I'm just asking you to sit this one out, let someone else take us." Evan had put his hands on Kat's shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. He had mastered her ability to say plenty with just a look.

"Alright, you win," she conceded. "I get off in an hour and a half, you wanna walk me home?"

"Sure, it will probably only take half that time to get our med checks. But I have to take care of the post mission briefing first. That shouldn't take long. There isn't a whole lot to report on. If you promise to not work too long past your shift if I'm late."

"Deal." She kissed him and turned to go ask Maggie to take care of Evan and his team.

"Sure thing, Kathy. I'll take care of 'em. You look tired. Maybe you should knock off early tonight. Go get some rest. I don't think Dr Beckett will mind."

"Thanks a lot Maggie, but I only have an hour and a half to go. I do wish people would quit saying I look tired though. Sheesh, what's it gonna be like in a couple months when I'm so big I can hardly move. I think I'm going to scream if one more person tells me I look tired."

"Sorry Kathy. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I went off on you. It's just that the first thing Evan said when he walked in was 'you look tired.' Not hi, how are you? Or I missed you, I love you, no, right away it's how tired I look."

"Hey, he's just concerned, that's all. He loves you. That's apparent every time I see him look at you. It's written all over his face. I wish I could find a guy who was that devoted to me."

"I know. I don't know what it is; I've been on edge all day today. I just needed to vent. Fine way for me to treat the poor guy after just getting back from another planet. Again, I'm sorry for going off on you."

"You're pregnant, that's what _it_ is. Don't give it another thought. Every time my sister got pregnant, practically from day one, the slightest little thing would send her flying off the handle. She'd turn into a real witch for nine months. Sometimes wondered how my brother-in-law could stand it. He must love her because they have four kids now."

"Thanks again. I have some charts to finish up so I will just sit quietly and take care of them. Let Evan know I'm being a good girl, okay?" She smiled and went into one of the small adjacent offices.

*****

Kat was putting the finishing touches on the last chart when Evan appeared in the doorway. "You ready to go, babe?"

"Yeah, just have to finish signing this chart and I'm done. There." She closed out of the terminal she was working on and stood up to go. She felt a little light-headed when she stood up and so quickly sat back down.

"What's wrong? Another dizzy spell? I thought you were over those a couple months back?" Evan came into the room and squatted down beside her chair. He shot her one of his recently developed I'm-not-happy-about-thislooks_. _Kat had been a good teacher when it came to giving looks instead of speaking. And Evan had been a good student.

"Well, I guess not. It's not that unusual, Evan, for this to go on throughout the entire pregnancy. I wish you'd stop worrying. I think I'd know if something was wrong."

"Oh so all of a sudden you're an expert on being pregnant. Last time I checked this was your first time. Just because you have medical training doesn't mean you know everything about it."

He was starting to piss her off. They rarely, if ever, had cross words with one another and had never had a fight but she felt as if he was goading her into one. She stopped herself from saying something she knew she'd regret. She put her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, hon, I didn't mean to sound so nonchalant about it. I know you worry and I love you for it. I guess I'm just more tired today than I was willing to admit. I wasn't trying to pick a fight with you. Please forgive me." She gave him her puppy-dog-eyes look that always melted his heart.

"Alright, you're forgiven." He couldn't stay angry with her even if he wanted to. He stood up and put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "_If_ you let me take you back to our quarters and you rest for the remainder of the evening? When did you last eat? I'll get you settled and then go down and get you dinner."

"Okay, sounds good to me. I am hungry. Then again I'm always hungry. My stomach hasn't been quite right most of the day so don't make it anything heavy, okay?" He helped her get up from the chair and then put his arm around her waist and led her out of the room. She put her arm around his waist and let him guide her.

*****

They had only been asleep for a short time when Kat awoke suddenly. It wasn't the usual urge to go to the bathroom that woke her this time. It was a sudden sharp pain in her back. Then she started to have severe abdominal cramps. She had not experienced anything like this before. Sure she had backaches but nothing as sudden and intensely sharp as this. It was like someone stabbed her with a knife. And she had never had the stomach pains. She let out a low scream.

Evan immediately woke to the sound of his wife next to him. "Kat, honey, what is it?"

"I don't know, but it's not good I know that. Something is definitely wrong." She gasped and grabbed her stomach as another sharp pain hit.

Evan grabbed his comm-link from the bedside stand. He put it in his ear and tapped it. "This is Major Lorne, I need a medical team to my quarters immediately."

Evan leaped out of bed and quickly threw his pants on. A voice came over his comm.

"Major, we're on our way. What's wrong?" It was Dr Keller.

"It's Kat, she's having bad stomach pains. Hurry."

A few moments later the door opened and Dr Keller and a med tech came in with a gurney. They rushed to the bed. Kat was lying on her side with her knees drawn up towards her chest. It was obvious she was in severe pain.

*****

"God, this can't be happening. It's too early." She was crying in pain and fear of what she was certain was happening. She was afraid she was miscarrying.

"Can't you do something to stop it, Doc?"

"We're doing everything we can, Evan. We've given her medication to try and stop the contractions. But I don't know if it will work. There isn't much more we can do but wait." Dr Keller was trying to reassure him. Her fear was that it was already too late and they were only prolonging the inevitable.

Just then Kat let out a high-pitched scream. "No! Oh God, no! Evan!"

"Hang in there, sweetie. I'm right here." He was holding tightly onto her hand as she was writhing in pain on the bed.

"What is it Kathy?" Dr Beckett was standing on the other side of her looking at the fetal heart monitor. The baby's heartbeat had not dropped too much, yet.

"I think my water just broke. Oh God, this can't be happening!"

Jennifer lifted the sheet from the bottom of the bed and examined Kat. "I'm afraid you're right, Kath. Your water has broken and you are dilated. You're going to deliver this baby, now." Just then the alarms went off on the monitor. The baby's heartbeat had dropped too low.

*****

When Kat awoke she saw Evan sitting by her bed watching her with love and sadness in his eyes. He didn't have to say a word. It was written all over his face. She had lost the baby. Whatever went wrong, there had been no reversing it and she had failed. She started to cry. Evan got up from the chair and sat on the bed. He took her in his arms and held her tight.

"Was it a boy or a girl?" She finally asked through her tears.

"Boy," was all he was able to say.

"I'm so sorry, Evan, I should of taken better care of myself. This was my fault."

"Hush, it wasn't your fault. It just happened. There was nothing you or I or Carson or Jennifer could have done to stop it." He had taken her face in his hands and was wiping the tears away with his thumbs.

"But—"

"No, stop it. Apparently he contracted something that affected his heart and lungs. It seems more related to those poison thorns I encountered on M74-291. I must have passed something on to you and it transferred to the baby. Even if you'd carried to term, he probably wouldn't have survived. It just wasn't meant to be this time. Don't you dare go blaming yourself." He pulled her in close to him again.

"Hi Kath. I'm so sorry." Jennifer Keller had seen that Kat was awake and came over to express her condolences. She gave her a hug, then to Evan, "Evan, I know you want to stay here and that is okay, I just need her to get some rest. Kath, you lost a lot of blood after the delivery so I need you to try and rest."

"Jen, can I at least see my son first? I need to see him and to hold him. Please?"

Jennifer was not surprised by Kat's request. Although Evan shot Jen a questioning look. Kat had held her son after the delivery but apparently had blocked it out. "Of course you can. I'll go get him." She turned to leave and Evan got up and followed her a short distance.

"I'll be right back, sweetie."

"Doc, she held him after the delivery. Why doesn't she remember? Won't this just upset her more?"

"Evan, she either has blocked it out or she just plain doesn't remember. I really don't think it will do any harm to allow her to do so again. I think it will help her to accept what happened."

"Then let me be the one to take him to her, please."

"Alright, he's this way." Jennifer led Evan to where they had taken the baby after the delivery. He was neatly wrapped in a blanket. She gently placed him in Evan's arms.

Evan slowly carried his son back to his wife and placed him in her arms. She started to cry again as she carefully lifted the blanket from his tiny head so she could see his face. She gently kissed his cheek. He reminded her of a picture of Evan as a baby that she'd seen at his mother's. Evan sat on the bed next to his wife holding her. Kat cradled her son for almost an hour, humming softly every so often. She had dozed off a couple of times but the slightest movement from Evan would wake her and she would actually tighten her grip on the baby.

"We need to give him a name so we can bury him properly. I was thinking of Evan Joel. After you and your father." Kat abruptly seemed to have snapped out of the state she had been in. It was necessary to take care of the business of naming their son and making some decisions before she could allow herself any more time to grieve. "And I don't actually want to bury him in the ground. I want him cremated and his ashes spread out from the balcony of my old quarters… where he was conceived," she told Evan matter-of-factly. When Kat and Evan had returned from Earth with the albeit guarded blessing of the IOA, Colonel Carter had seen to it that the expectant couple were moved into quarters that would be more accommodating to a young family.

"I like the name. That's a good choice. My dad would be proud. As for the rest, if it's what you want then it's what we'll do."

"Don't agree just to agree with me, Evan. He's your son, too. I just don't see burying him on the mainland and there certainly is nowhere to bury him in the city. And there is no way I will send him back to Earth to be buried and left. Sure he spent six weeks there inside me, but that's not his home, this is. I won't put his ashes in some jar and put it on our dresser, either. The only other options I see are either burial at sea or burial in space. And I really don't see either of those as being appropriate, do you?"

"Honey, I'm not agreeing just to agree. I think that is a good idea. I would never send him back to Earth to be alone in some cemetery someplace. And as for the sea or space option, I'm just not comfortable with either of those. I'm afraid, though, that we will have to take him back to Earth for cremation. I don't think they have found anything like that here yet, although I could talk to Dr McKay and find out."

"That won't be necessary. I suppose we should go back and see your family; let them know what happened. After all, they were pretty excited when we told them we were expecting. It went a long way in smoothing the ruffled feathers from not including them in the wedding and not being able to visit with them. I do want to keep a small amount of his ashes, though."

Just then Dr Beckett came over. "I'm so sorry, Kathy. Evan. I know this must be devastating for you. I wish we had been able to do more."

"Thank you Carson," they both said in unison.

Kathy's face changed and so did her voice as she looked down at her son. "I think my boy is getting tired. He really should be put down for a nap. Will you take him, Carson?" She lightly kissed her son and then re-covered the child's face with the blanket.

"I'll take him, honey." Evan reached out and took the baby from Kat's outstretched arms.

"Let Carson take him, will you. He has such a way with children. Stay here with me. I'm so tired. I want to fall asleep with you watching over me." She leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Is she okay," Evan asked as he handed the baby over to Dr Beckett. "She doesn't sound like herself."

Carson took the baby. "Yes, she's just exhausted. Her vitals look good. With everything she's been through in the last several hours I'm surprised she's been able to stay awake this long. I can give her a mild sedative so she'll sleep through the rest of the night, although I don't really think that will be necessary. I think she will sleep for quite a while now."

"Be gentle with him, Carson." It was Kat. Her eyes were still closed. She didn't appear to have heard any of the conversation he'd had with Evan, but she knew when he turned to take her son away.

"I will, don't worry. You sleep now. He is sleeping; now you should, too. That goes for you, too, Evan. I'll have another bed sent in so you can lie down properly."

Kat knew when Carson left the room. She did not open her eyes, she just whispered, "Good-bye my son. Mommy and Daddy love you. Sweet dreams my angel." A tear slowly made its way from beneath her closed eyelid and down her cheek. Evan sat down in the chair by her bedside. He laid his head in her lap and cried. She lifted a hand and placed it on his head. More tears escaped from beneath her closed eyes.

*****

*****


End file.
